Art of rayon manufacture



Jul 11, 1933. w. 1-1. FURNESS ART OF RAYON MANUFACTURE Filed April 7, 1930 INVENTOR T142941 ATTORNEY3 PatenteclfJuly 11, 1933 wILLIAmHmunNnss; 01' NATIONAL ARK, new JERSEY v am on RAYON imir'urncru tn I Application filed April 7, I Serial No; 442,473,. i

'This invention relates to improvements in manufacturing rayon and it has for one of its primary objects provision of a method and apparatus whereby rayonof fine-denier of fine quality may be rapidly, effectively and economically manufactured. 1

'Heretofore it has been not'only difficult to spin finegdenier'threads but also such yarn has been very'expensive to produce because thereof and because of the excessive 'losses'in the various operations in the manufacture of the finished yarn, following the spinning.

It is an object of my invention'to overcome these disadvantages. I A further object of the invention is to cheapen production by'incr'easing the output of the spinning machine s; v Still another "object ofthe invention '-is to 7 provide a new formof-thread Which may-be used in the form'produ'ced, or readily divided into a number of threads of smaller denier.

Still another: objectfof'theinvention is to multiply the output of a spinning machine with very little increase in cost,

The foregoing, together with'such other objects and advantages "as may hereinafter vappear, or are incident to my invention, are realiz'edby a method, the preferred 'formof which I willnow proceed to describe, themvention beingsetforth in connection-with the cuproammonium process of silk manurfacture for which my invention-ifs best adapted. A means for carrying out the process is illustrated in the drawing, in which Figure l is a diagrammatic front-elevation of spinning, drawing,'a'nd cap twister mechanism suitable for one step of my process;

Figure 1a is "a fragmentary plan viewi-o f.

the spinncret arrangement of Figure 1;

Figure lb is a fragmentaryside elevation of the captwisterarrangement, i 4 Figure 101s 'a diagrammatic 'sectional'ele vation of decopping-mechanism I'suitabl'e for another stepo-f my-process, and 1 Figure 1d ,s a-diagramm atic' elevation of mechanism suitable forcarrying out the "final step ofm'y proce s's; c

7 In carrying outmy invention I pr'epareLa solutlon ofcopperhydrate; ammonia" and cel-i lulose, preferably using minimum dissolving April 6, 1927 and since issuedas ning openings and the number of proportionsand then diluting with-Water to secure the desired concentration, say, for example, three and one-half to four percent cellulose. This is in; accordance "with my co- =pendingapplication Serial N 0; 1'81,61 4, filed Patent No, 1,770,750, on July 15, 1930. This solution," after filtering, is pumped through a multiple spinneret'such, for eX- ample, as 'a double, triple ='orqua drupl'e spinneretfi The'filaments'arefspun into a caustic bath, the bath solution being one which causes the precipitation'of the solution into non-adherent filaments which" are recommended as giving the best results. V t. Taking a double spinning 'forexample, the feed pipe 2 leadingfrom-the pump is forked at its endi3 andhas a spinneret 4 on each fork (see Figures 1: and 1a); If it'is desired to make, forexample, athread of 100' denier 9 by this process, a thread of 50 denier would be spun by each of the twospinnerets, each spinneret having the desired number of spinspinning I openings being equal in'each "in order to get uniform fiowof the solutionfi I The filaments are precipitatedin the bath 5 before they merge intofthe threads. 7

The twothreads are then drawn (meet the precipitating bath a'nd passed over two d'ra'wmg wheels 6 and 7 which may be of different 1 si'ze,---running'at the same speed, or of the I 1 same size, running fatdiiferent speeds, as described- 1n myco'pendlng appllcation Serial No. 239,401, filediDecember 12,- 1927, thelpu' 'e :3

pose of the drawing wheels'being to impart such a stretchto thethread'as will remove the "extensibility; due to precipitation of the solution. in gel form. I I believe that the I1 stretching'so-impartedcollapses the cells,or, rather, elongates them by eXt'rudingsomeof c 1 the liquid,- but' Withoutth'inning down of; or

the thread by a physical stretching suchv as would impair, by stretching-J the fibers Iconstitutingthe cell wallsg- 5 The two threads are aretfwofguides 8 beyond the drawing wheel's,-.

I v I passed first: around I o one wheel and then the other wheehland there-c i v threads emerge from the precipitating bath, and to guide the threads over the wheels. 7

The two threads, after leaving the. drawing wheels, pass through the guides aforesaid and are wound upon a bobbin or spool by cap twister mechanism 11 such as shown and described in my copending application Serial N 0. 239,403, filed December 12, 1927,

and since issued as Patent N 0; 1,829,986, on

November 3, 1931.

threads up as one thread upon the spool 12, imparting to each thread a twist and impart= ing a twist to the single heavy thread made up of the two light threads much after the manner of a twostrand rope.

There is now'upon the spool 12a single thread ultimately producing, when conditioned, a thread of 100 denier.

hen the sp'oolis filled, it isdofi'edffroin the spinning machine and. the thread is unwound and passed through an acid bath 13 (see Figure 10) after themanner described in my copending application Serial No. 239,404, filed-December 12, 1927, to remove copper and since issued.v as Patent No. 1,853,123,}onApril12,1932.

As the thread isbeing unwound from the spool for, passage through the acid bath a spray 14 of'mildly caustic: water is applied thereto to remove caustic soda. Because'the spray plays upon the spool as itis being un J wound, the entire lengthof the thread is uniformly subject thereto. Thebalance of the caustic is removed in the acid bath 1-3.

The thread is drawn through the acid'bath and unwound from the spool by winding-it upon a large spool or cylinder 15, such,- ffor "example, "as shown and described in my copending application Serial No. 381,199, filed July 26, 1929, and since issuedas Patent No.

' 1,811,386, onJun-e23, 1931. This large spool or cylinder acid bath. 1

The thread is preferably laid ,upon the cylinder after the manner described in my copending application Serial ,No. 239,405, filed December. 12, 1927 andsinceissued as Patent No. 1,770,397, on July ,15, .1930,wi-th a: traverse motion, producing a cake which is uniformly perviousto waterand which has its edges tapered or chainfered so as to secure preferably revolves partly in the uniform exposure of the thread throughout its length; i r After the cylinder is filled, it is washe'd'in water preferably by revolving the' cylinder and causing a jet of water to travel length;

"wiseof the cylinder. The water. is on p'referably during only one stroke of the pipe,

which may be a rubber hose attached .to a

suitable supply line and connectedto anew ,erse motion which gives it a'reciproc atory movement. This is econom cal in watercons sumption and yet gives efieetivewashing.

I ingrolls.-

of the acid throughout the length of the thread.

After the washing operation the cylinder isv put into a drying oven and the thread dried.

The thread may now be used in this form in which it is, as it were, acable of two strands, the strands being twisted, one about the other, and the filaments of each strand being twisted. This cap twister mechanism lays the -twd If, however, the thread is be divided into two threads offifty denier each, the operator "breaks ofi-an end of the thread, which causes the two strands toreadily separate.

F of separation it is desirable to proceed as.

follows. The conditioned thread is unwound from theeylinde'r 15 and wound onto abobbin 16, which bobbin; is placediinahorizontal position in V a support 17, revolving about a vertical-axis18 (see Figure 1d).

The thread is ledthrough a guide 19 and to and between a, pairof feeding rolls 20 which are drivenatconstant speed, as is the revolving spool. After the thread has been led through the guide and through the feed jingrolls', the end is broken ofl, which makes it possible for the operator to'readily' separate the twojstrands of'the single thread. Each strand is led through asuitable guide 21 and then to an ordinary. captwister 22 for laying upupon a spool.

In operation the thread is unwound from passes, through, the 'feed rollers 20, and then theftwo strandsare' laid; upon their respective spools 23. 1

By mountingthe-spoolj which is beingunwoundin aihorizontal plane .in a support revolving aboutawerticalaxis, the 'twistlwhich was imparted by the first cap twisting operationfollowing the drawing wheelsprevious- 1y described is removed. If this were not done, itzwould-be impossible to divide the thread because the twist would run. back along the thread, making it impossible in a short while tocontinue operationsthrough breakageor otherwise. Each strand, how'- ever, is again twisted in the final cap-twisting operation 'after-the-thread leaves the feed- I The feeding rolls therevolving supofthe thread attheapex-ofthe r I the spool- 16 revolving in a horizontal plane,

It will be seen from the foregoing that with a spinning machine and the other apparatus necessary to produce a single thread, I can produce double, triple, quadruple, the yardage, etc. Furthermore, it will be quite evident to those skilled in the art that I carry a single relativelyheavy thread throughout all of the operations in manufacture which can be readily and effectively done without the breakages, such as wouldoccur if it were attempted to carry a single thread of fine denier through the system. Thus I effect a great economy and, at the same time, secure perfect threads, the divided threads being as perfect as the thread from which they are divided, Another advantage of forming such a thread in manufacture is that if a filament breaks, it can only run a certain distance along the thread before running of the filament is stopped because of the cable construction ofthe thread.

Again it will be seen that by spinning two or more fine threads, I am enabled to increase the speed of spinning for the reason that the surface tension in the precipitating bath on the individual fine threads is much less than it would be on a single heavy thread. Thus, for example, if it were desired, it would be possible to-spin two fine threads at approximately twice therate of a single thread of the combined denierof the two light threads.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I am enabled to simply and effectively produce fine denier threads with'the same apparatus which is used for producing single threads of heavier denier and with all the safety with which the heavy threads can be produced and with greater dispatch and with but a fractional increase in cost.

It will, of course, be understood that I can produce, for example, two threads of denier from a thread of 150 denier, or three threads of 50 denier from a thread of 150 dc nier, and so on, and this with threads the filaments of which are of the order of the filaments of natural silk.

lVhile I have described my invention more particularly when making a combined thread of two threads of lighter denier, I

prefer to make thread from more than two strands for the reason that if it is desiredto-i use the heavy thread produced as is, it'w'ill be of more uniform cross section It will,

cated without liability of breakageor without taking the precautions which are frequently necessary in order to successfully fabricate the yarn of the cloth.

Furthermore, by spinning of a single thread of non-adherent filaments, I candivide it as described. Themultiple spinning,

however, is preferred as it is more easy to divide the thread and there is. less possibility ofinjury to the threads.- v V I I do not make any claim herein to the mechanism which I employ in carrying out the aforesaid process, the same being setforth and claimed in my copending appli cation Serial No. 331,781,1iled January 11,

1929. I I claim 1. The herein denier, uniting them into a heavy thread with ,a twist'therein, treatingsaid heavy,

described process whichcomprises forming rayon threads of light 2. The herein described process which i comprises forming rayon threads of light denier, uniting them into a heavy thread with a twist therein, treating said heavy, thread, and dividing it into its component threads while removingthe twist imparted andtwisting said component threads.

3. The herein described process which' comprises forming rayon threads of light denier, laying up said threads in the form of one heavy thread while imparting twist thereto, unwinding said thread and dividing it into its component threads while removing the twist imparted, and laying upthe component threads while imparting twist thereto.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

WILLIAM H. ,FURNESS. 

